Method of making explosives.



accidental shock or concussion. On

ilNi o STATss PATENT Grates.

JONAS E. BLOMEN ANDI' IENRY C. ASPINWALL. OF l().\ll"lON TOWNSHIP NEW JERSEY METHOD or resume sxetoswss.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 674,292, dated May 14, 1901. Application filed June 27.1930- Serial No. 21.710. No speuimcns.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JONAS E. BLOMEN and HENRY C. ASPINWALL, citizens of the United States, and residents of Pompton township, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have invented. a new and useful Method of Producing High Explosives, of which the following is a specification.

Our in vention relates to the method of producing ahigh explosive, the object in view being the production of a high explosive which shall be relatively safe to manufacture and to handle, inexpensive, and not liable to freeze at low temperatures.

It is well known that dynamites and other mixtures containing nitroglycerin are liable to freeze at temperatures above the freezingpoint of water and may be exploded by an invention contemplates the production of a high explosive or explosive base free from the uninto efi'ect in the following manner: First we produce phenol-sulfouic acid by treating ten parts of phenol with twelve parts of sulfuric acid of 66 Baum at a temperature of about 70 centigrade for a period of eight days, more or less, with occasional stirring or until the resulting product is immediately soluble in cold water. We then nitrate this phenolsulfonic acid with a weak nitric acid of about 36 Baum or of sufiicient strength to obtain the desired product. The resulting product is of a heavy syrupy consistency at a temperature of about 7 0 centigrade and consists of a mixture of mononitro and dinitro phenol 'with some unnitrated phenol. Care must be taken proportion of one part, by weight, of naphthalene to one part, by Weight, of phenol originally used for sulfonation and nitration. This mixture is then heated to about 80 centigrade and allowed 10 stand, with occasional stir-- ring, for several days or uhtil of uniform consistency. I: is then nitrated with a weak nitrio acid or mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid ina manner similar to that-in which naphtha lene alone is nitrated. In treating naphthalene and phenol in the manner described above we produce a mixture of highly nitrated naphthaleues in nitrophenols and form practically a combination of the substances. This result is important, because the temperature at which the highlynitrated naphthalenes melt is high and fre= quently higher than that at which deco|np0- sition of the nitrophenols would be induced. The nitrophenols and lower nitrates of naphthalene will readily dissolve together; but the higher nitronaphthalenes will not do so readily, excepting by means of treatment as, described above. The co-nitrated product thus produced is thoroughly washed and puri-- fied and then dried and may now be used as an explosive in this condition or as an explosive base mixed with other ingredients.

In order to producelh'e best results, develop more fully the explosive force, and obtain the highest value as an explosive, we may add one or more of the oxygen-bearing salts, such as the nitrates, chlorate's, or perchlorates of potassium,sodium,barium,or :unmonium. The addition or incorporation of the salts withthe co'nitratcd product may be efiected by any well-known method of mixing. Theymay be added in a dry state or they may be wet, or the co-nitrated product may be melted or it may be dissolved in any suitable solvent, such as acetone, methyl al-- cohol, amyl acetate, acetic ether, or the like, and the salts may be added to the liquid or plastic massthus formed. We do not confine oiu'selves to any particular method of mixing, as most of the well-known methods will effectthe results desired.

-The proportions of the oxygen-bearing salt or salts to be added to the co-nitrated prodnot will vary with the results we desire to obtain and also according to thenitration of 5 the co nitrated product.

The strength of the explosive may by varied according to the proportion of the oxygen- .bearing salts added.

A satisfactory explosive can be made in the :0 following proportions: To fort two parts of a c'o-nitrated product produce as above described and corresponding to trinitro-naphdthalene and dinitro-phenol we add fifty-eight parts of an oxygen-bearing saltsay sodium nitrate. Another composition which gives a satisfactory high eitplosivejis the following: To fifty parts of a ate-nitration product corre-- sponding in composition 'to tetranitromaphthalen'e and trinitro-phenol is added thirty parts of sodium nitrate and twenty parts of ammonium nitrate.

What we claim is 1. The method of forming an explosive consi lngin eo-nitrating aliydrocarbou and a hydroxyl derivative of hydrocarbon, substan tially ems-specified.

2. The method of forming an explosive consisting in co-nitrating a hydrocarbon and a hydrcyxyl derivative of hydrocarbon, purify- 0 ing the product and adding one'or more oxy-' gen-bearing salts, substantially as specified] 3. The method of forming an explosiveconsist'in in first sulfonating a h ydroxyl derivative o hydrocarbon, then partially nitrating the product, then adding a hydrocarbon to the partially-nitrated product and then nitrating the mixture to desired nitration.

4. The method of forming an explosive cohsisting in first sulfonating a. hydroxyl derivative of hydrocarbon, then partially nitrating the product, then addingahydrocarbon to the partially nitrated product, then nitrating the mixture to desired nitration, then purifying the product and finally adding a sufiicient quantity of oxidizing material to oxidize the carbon, substantially as set forth.

5. The method of producing 'an explosive consisting in first sulfonating phenol, then partially nitrating the phenol-sulfonic acid, then adding naphthalene, then nltrating the mixture to a desired nitration,- then purify ing the product, then incorporating oxygenhearing salts and finally pulverizing the prodnet to the desired fineness, substantially as set forth. V p

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as ourinvention we have signed our names, in

presence of two witnesseathis 5th day of June,

JONAS E. BLOMEN. HENRY C. ASPINWALL. Witnesses: Y

' FREDK. HAYNES,

EDWARD "VIESER. 

